


Like the Moon and the Stars

by stagecrime, wolfstarforeverandever



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: ...ish, Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Angst, Famous Sirius Black, Fluff, Foreshadowing, Getting Together, How Do I Tag, I'm making that a tag, Implied Past Unhealthy Relationship, M/M, Minor Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, POV Alternating, dorcas meadowes (mentioned) - Freeform, fast burn, gideon prewett exists, he's a side character, somewhere in between a full character and mentioned, weird sort of slow burn even though they're a thing by like the second chapter, yep, yep mhm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:02:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29024658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stagecrime/pseuds/stagecrime, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfstarforeverandever/pseuds/wolfstarforeverandever
Summary: “There is still hope yet for the gay disaster that is Sirius Black.”“Don’t call me that.”“I’m not wrong.”“Oh, fuck you.”“Or him.”Remus, a secondary school teacher, and Sirius, a famous singer/songwriter, meet by chance on a tube to Islington.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 16
Kudos: 40





	1. october 2019

_October 2019_

Remus was _not_ having a good day. He had already slept through his alarm twice after getting approximately half an hour of sleep, been late to work, and been yelled at by the bad-tempered caretaker, Argus Filch, for getting mud on the new blue carpets.

_Not_ a good start to the day. And it was only nine a.m. And now he had to face a class full of twelve year olds who did _not_ want to be there.

And the classroom was full of students. Who were not late. Which meant that he was the late one. Shit.

Remus scrubbed his face with the back of his hand, setting his bag and keys down on the desk, and sighed.

“Um, well, morning everyone.” Remus cringed at his voice, hoarse from lack of sleep. “Today we’re looking at cyclical structure—everyone take your books out.” He waited for the class to get their books, and continued. “It can help to create an impactful end to a novel—many writers use it. In Pride and Prejudice, for example, the book starts with a negative outlook on marriage.” He gestured vaguely. “That of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, and the book ends on a positive view of marriage—that of Mr. Darcy.” He smiled, remembering how his father used to call him that; he and Mr. Darcy were so similar. “And Elizabeth Bennet,” he continued. “Austen uses this to show that what is most important in marriage is not money or beauty but _love._ Love comes before all else. And that is still true today, don’t you think? _”_ He smiled again, this time looking out of the window, then shook himself and looked back at the class. Only one student, in the front row, was looking at him. _Fan-fucking-tastic._

Just then, Remus heard a bang and the drip of water on a desk. Immediately glancing at the source of the noise, which turned out to be the window, he swore. The window had blown open, and heavy rain had started to pour into the classroom.

He put down his copy of Pride and Prejudice and rushed to the window, ignoring his class’ stares, and forced the window pane back into place. Sighing, Remus looked down at the now wet floor, then looked around for some paper towels to clean it up. Of course, there weren’t any in sight. “Because who the _fuck_ keeps towels in a classroom?” he muttered under his breath. Behind him, a student suppressed a giggle. Damn his early morning lack of filter.

“Be back in a minute,” Remus said, not really paying attention to the class’ response. He walked out of the classroom, in search of paper towels. Wet floors were not, in his experience, very pleasant to slip on.

As it turned out, the bathroom was fresh out of paper towels and Remus was ready to punch a wall.

In the staff room, two doors down, he had much better luck—their paper towels had just been refilled. Smiling, Remus grabbed two and rushed back to the classroom.

When he finally stepped back into his classroom, ten minutes had passed and two students were missing. _Fucking hell._

Choosing to ignore that problem for the time being, Remus walked over to the small puddle under the window and began to mop it up. Students had begun to whisper amongst themselves, probably about him, but honestly, Remus didn’t give a shit. His mood had already hit rock bottom.

-

“Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality...open your eyes, look up at the sky and see,” Sirius hummed to himself as he opened the door to his music studio, pulling his earbuds out of his ears and shoving them into the pocket of his black leather jacket. James was just behind the door, talking to someone Sirius couldn’t see.

“You don’t mind doing that?” Sirius heard. “There _will_ be a lot of paperwork. Don’t know how much fun that will be.”

The voice was matter-of-fact, and Sirius recognized it as Gideon Prewett, the new, but slightly stupid, receptionist. 

“Perfect.” James’ voice rang out, unmistakable. “And I’m fine with paperwork, Gid, he’s my best friend. I’ll do anything for him.”

Sirius heard the truth in his voice and took a moment to appreciate how lucky he was to have James in his life. A smile spreading across his face, Sirius dropped his bag in a heap on the carpeted floor and walked over to them.

“Prongs, what the fuck are _you_ doing here?” Sirius said with a grin, clapping his school friend on the back. “Not that I’m not glad to see you, but what the fuck?”

“Marlene,” James said simply.

Sirius turned toward Marlene, who waved from behind the glass in the recording booth, talking on the phone to someone and waving maniacally at them. 

“And what would Marlene want you here for?” Sirius chuckled, looking at James out of the corner of his eye.

“Excuse you, I’m a great help around here.” James looked to Gideon for confirmation, who nodded.

“He’s been very helpful. A really great help around here,” Gideon repeated, expression dead serious. Sirius and James shared a knowing look and James stifled a laugh. 

“A great distraction, more like,” Marlene said, waltzing into the room. “I wanted someone to listen to your new song, and Jamie here is the only one who will give _honest_ feedback. Everyone else is too biased. Plus, they’re _expensive._ James will do it for free.”

“Is that a good thing?” James laughed.

“A wonderful thing, mate,” Sirius said. “Means Marlene gets a bigger bonus. I’ll get set up.”

Sirius disappeared through the door into the recording booth, still laughing. Fishing around in his jacket pocket, he put his noise canceling headphones back on and let out a breath. Being in the studio always calmed him down. 

The recording booth was surrounded on three sides with soundproof foam, with the fourth wall made of glass, looking onto the technical area. There was a stool in the center of the room, positioned under the microphone and various shiny, electric guitars were hung on the walls. Sirius loved it. This was what he did; this was what he loved to do.

Running through some quick scales and vocal exercises, Sirius couldn’t stop smiling. He had written the song he was about to sing, and though this was one of the first rehearsals, it felt just as professional, yet familiar, every time.

Sirius flashed a thumbs up to Dorcas, the studio’s producer, signalling he was ready to start recording. She grinned, un-muting the studio mic, and gave him a thumbs up back.

The familiar backing music started to play and Sirius swayed dramatically from left to right, laughing. James put his feet on the table and leant back in his chair. Dorcas promptly pushed them off again, flicking his ankle. He elbowed her, leaning forward on his knees to listen instead. Sirius loved the people he worked with; they were his everything. The family he found when he had no one else—and for that, Sirius was so thankful. 

Breathing deeply, Sirius opened his mouth and began to sing.

-

Remus stood on the escalator, completely oblivious to his surroundings. His day had been the worst day he had had in _years,_ and zoning out was his way of coping. He followed the stream of people towards the northern line and stood on the platform waiting for a tube, the familiar gush of air and smells was a comfort of sorts. He knew what he was doing here—riding the tube to go home. Simple. Safe.

“Mind the gap between the train and the platform edge.” The recorded announcement spoke to the crowd of people, as if it wasn’t the same monotonous voice every time, as if they hadn’t heard those words spoken a thousand times before. 

Remus sighed and stepped onto the train, pressing forward so that more people could fit into the carriage. He was wedged against a man in a leather jacket, who smelled like lavender and musk and he was _hot_ and—that is _not_ what Remus should have been thinking on a tube to Islington. He was uncomfortably close to this man, almost touching. _That’s normal for a tube,_ he told himself, _perfectly normal_. 

His thoughts were cut off by the announcer: “The next stop is Highbury and Islington. Change here for the Victoria line.”

“This is my stop,” Remus murmured to no one in particular. He muttered an embarrassed “Excuse me” to one of the other passengers as he jostled past. As he pushed through the crowd, the strap of his bag caught on the edge of a seat and fell off his shoulder onto the floor. Remus swore and scrambled to pick it up again, only just managing to slip out of the doors before they shut. He swore again, gritting his teeth as he glanced at his watch. He was going to be late to his tutoring lesson with one of his favourite students.

Walking faster, Remus passed a Tesco, mentally cursing himself that he hadn’t bought anything for dinner. It was dark now, and the streetlights and the shop windows were the only things lighting the street. Windows of houses were lit up with television screens and lives bustled behind closed doors. Remus kept walking and finally arrived at the student’s house.

The door opened immediately when he rang the bell, and Tonks’ mother, Andromeda, was on the other side of it, smiling warmly. “Come on in.” 

Remus muttered an apology as he took his shoes off and went into the dining room where Tonks was staring dreamily out of the window.

“Hello,” Remus said, not really wanting to disturb them as he sat down across from them. 

“Hiya,” Tonks replied without looking away from the window. “Squirrels,” they said, pointing at a branch outside.

Remus looked where they were pointing, saw the squirrel perched on a branch and repeated, “Squirrels,” before it ran off again. They sat in silence for a minute, staring out of the window.

“Uh, lesson?” Remus asked, gesturing vaguely to his bag and rubbing his bleary eyes. “Sorry, I’m tired.”

“I can tell.” Tonks giggled. “We finished Act Two of The Crucible last week, if that helps.” 

Remus took a moment to register what Tonks had just said. “Yeah, god, I’m so sorry Tonks, I've had a shit day. _Shit._ I just said shit. Three fucking times. Bugger. Now I’ve gone and said fuck. And bugger. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. Fucking hell.”

Tonks just giggled again. “Act Two, Remus, Act Two.”

“Yes, yes, Act Two.” He sighed, looking for the book in his bag. He looked up suddenly as he spotted the blue light of a phone screen under the desk. 

“Tonks.” He said sharply. “This is a lesson, not a general chit cha-” He stopped as he caught sight of their phone screen. “Who _is_ that?” 

Tonks laughed. “That, professor, is none other than Sirius Black.”

“Sirius...Black?”

Tonks nodded. “Singer/songwriter, age twenty-five, 2.8 million Instagram followers, rose to fame on YouTube, lives half an hour away from here.”

“How do _you_ know all that?” Remus narrowed his eyes.

Tonks just chuckled and shrugged - did everyone know this?. Except him, apparently. But _wow._ How had Remus never heard of this Sirius Black before? And he was _hot._

Remus immediately shook himself at that realization and took himself back to the video on Tonks’ phone screen. This was really not the time for gay panic.

Sirius seemed to be talking, and holding up something small in one hand, a pair of keys on a leather keyring with golden trim. Remus squinted a little closer, trying to see without seeming suspicious, and _shit._ If Remus was seeing correctly...those were _his_ keys. _His._ Keys.

_Well, fuck._

Sirius Black - _Sirius Black,_ 2.8m followers, hottest person to ever grace the earth - had Remus Lupin’s keys.

Remus tried to focus on teaching but his mind kept drifting to Sirius, and his keys, and how the fuck he was going to get them back. 

The rest of the lesson passed calmly enough, until six p.m. when it was time for Remus to go home. Or as far home as he could go without his house keys. 

“See you next week, Tonkie.”

Tonks just glared at him, their eyes plainly telling Remus never to call them that again. Remus just laughed and shut the door, his face met by the cold October air. As the door shut behind him, Remus sighed and dropped his head into his hands, a long stream of curses escaping from his lips. 

So.

Battle plan.

Remus tried to make a list in his head.

One. Sirius Black had his keys.

Two. Sirius Black was famous. Really, really famous.

Three. Remus couldn’t go home without his keys.

Four. Remus needed the keys.

Five. Sirius Black was really hot. _Not the moment, Remus._

Six. Remus needed to get the keys. From Sirius.

Now how the fuck was he going to do that?

-

Sirius sat in the studio, waiting for a reply that was verified by his agent to his Instagram story, fiddling with the keys in his hand. He had picked them up off the floor of a tube carriage on his way back from buying coffee and now didn’t know what to do.

Looking at the keys, though, they weren’t very remarkable - two silver keys, probably opened a house and a mailbox or something of that sort. The keychain, however, was quite nice; rough, worn leather with gold trim. When Sirius looked closer, he saw it was folded, almost like a locket, and when he opened it there was a black and white photo inside.

The photo was of a man and a woman holding a baby, with a cat at their feet. Underneath the photo was a faded but beautiful inscription of the letters L, H & R L. Sirius smiled at it. The owner was sentimental, sweet.

When Sirius’ phone beeped with a notification, he looked down at it to see a DM that had been verified by his agent from an Instagram account with no followers or pictures. The name on it was set to _Moony._

Swallowing, he clicked into the DM.

_hi_

**Hey**

_sirius black?_

**Who else?**

_your long lost twin doppelgänger._

**...It’s me**

**I swear**

_if you say so_

**And you are?**

_remus lupin_

**I know, my agent told me**

_...then why’d you ask_

**Apparently it’s supposed to be polite**

_…_

_okay_

_those’re my keys_

**Keys?**

**Oh, those keys**

_you found some other random keys?_

**,,no, I just forgot**

_in two seconds??_

**Memory of a goldfish, what can I say**

_well_

_i need them back_

**Someone’s not in a great mood this evening?**

_you could say that_

**Come collect them then?**

**Oh wait, I need verification first**

**Are you human**

**Picture?**

_of?_

**...You?**

_oh_

_er_

_give me a second_

**One**

**Two**

_impatient._

**Ouch**

_here you go_

__

**Ah... um**

**Okay**

_..._

_your turn_

**???**

_well there’s a lot of give and no take here_

**You know you could just google me**

_i could_

_or_

_you_

_could send me one_

**Is this a sext**

_oh my god_

_what_

_hell no_

_shut up and send me a selfie you git_

**Sounds like a sext ;)**

**But okay**

_jesus christ_

**Like what you see? ;)**

_oh my god_

_when did you last shave_

**Yesterday?**

_scruffy_

**Thanks?**

_you’re not fucking welcome._

_where am I getting my keys from_

**Feisty?**

_it’s been a shit day i’m tired and am locked out of my fucking house what else do you bloody expect_

**Can you come pick them up at the studio?**

_you say that as if i’m supposed to know where that is._

**Google?**

**Oh wait, you’re allergic to googling**

**Or just want sexts**

**We may never know**

_shut up and piss off you git._

**I’m not objecting**

_keys. studio. where._

**Impatient**

_unhelpful_

**Near Camden Town tube station, turn left and it’s up the stairs between the yellow and blue buildings.**

_thank fuck._

_i’m only ten minutes away_

**That read like a sext**

_that’s your own fault_

_i’m on my way_

**Still sounding suggestive**

**Not that I’m complaining, of course**

_and still your own fault._

_git._

**See you ;)**

_see you._

_bloody wanker._

**Now that was definitely a sext**

_fuck you._

**Yeah exactly**

_bye_

_-_

Remus clicked his phone off and let out a breath. He had just spent the last ten minutes texting - well, probably more like pissing off - Sirius fucking Black. Only the most attractive guy in existence. And now he was going to meet him. At his studio. Well, _fuck._

He walked quickly to the bus stop and sat down. Drumming his fingers on his knee in anticipation. “Come on, come on” he grumbled impatiently until the bus drew up to the shelter.

Remus sat two seats behind the driver, cheek pressed against the window. He concentrated on the cold instead of his nerves. Opening his bag, he took out his leather-bound journal and a pen and began to scribble furiously.

_Fuck fuck fuck. I can’t fancy Sirius sodding Black. I’ve known him for the sum total of ten minutes. But shit he’s h o t. Like really hot. Fuck. But he’s straight. And I’m not. I’m really not. Fuck. No. You are going to go and retrieve your keys and then you are going to go home and never speak to him again. God’s sake, Lupin, pull yourself together. But shit, he’s hot. Fuck._ _Keys Remus. Keys. But also jawline. And hair. And eyes. Fuck. Keys. Lupin. Then home. Then bed. Bed. Shit. Bugger. NOT LITERALLY. Unless… LUPIN, NO. You piece of shit. Keys and then home._

When the bus pulled up outside Camden Town tube station, Remus thanked the driver and got out. He flattened his shirt and mentally cursed himself that he hadn’t changed. When he got to the front door of the studio, he took a deep breath and pressed the buzzer.

“Marlene McKinnon from Sirius Black studios, how can I help?”

“It’s Remus Lupin and I’m here to collect my keys?”

“Come right on up,” she said, and the door swung open. 

Remus breathed in, then out, then made his way up the stairs. He reached a front desk area with a red neon sign reading ‘Sirius Black Studios’ above it. 

“Remus Lupin?” The man at the front desk asked. Remus nodded. “Sirius is through there.” He pointed to a door labeled _Recording Studio_. 

Before he could stall any more, Remus put his hand on the doorknob, opened the door and walked into the room. He was immediately hit with the strong scent of lavender.

That was when Remus was met by the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. It was low and melodic and _gorgeous_ and just oh so perfect and- it stopped. Remus was brought out of his trance by the silence. He turned towards where the sound was coming from to see Sirius Black sitting on a chair with a guitar on his knee, smiling at him. _Fuck._ He was even better in real life. Tall and muscled and well... _perfect._

-

Sirius tried not to stare. He really did. But when he was faced with the most beautiful human on this planet in front of him...there wasn’t much else he was able to do. He felt his cheeks colour and swore under his breath. Why did he have to be singing?

“Hey.” _Smooth, Black. Smooth._ Sirius mentally rolled his eyes at himself.

“Hi.” Remus replied, voice high. “Nice studio.”

“Er thanks. I designed it myself.” _Don’t be so ruddy arrogant, Sirius._

“Oh, really?” Remus looked around. “It’s really nice. I mean, I really love it.”

Sirius internally cringed at the awkwardness of the conversation. “Thanks.”

“Erm, could I, maybe, have my keys back?” Remus asked.

“Keys. What... Yes, yes. Of course.” Sirius fumbled around in his pocket for them before handing them over, somehow not taking his eyes off Remus once. As Remus reached out to take them, his finger brushed Sirius’ palm. And _fuck._ His fingers sent a shiver through Sirius’ arm.

Sirius was only a little disappointed at the loss of contact when Remus pulled back with the keys.

“Nice to meet you Mr. Black,” Remus said, smiling warmly. He turned and left the room.

-

The first thing Remus did when he got back home was put his keys safely in the bowl where they belonged.

But the second thing he did was google Sirius Black. He listened to all of his songs, and with each lyric and each melody he fell a little more in love.

Not that he was in love. Not at all. They’d talked _once._ Remus was not in love. Or falling in love for that matter. 

But, oh god, the pictures. Remus couldn’t stop staring.

Apparently singing wasn’t all he did. Sirius had modeled for multiple magazines. He had done a few photo shoots for Vogue and one for Elle and all the pictures were plastered across Google Images. And Remus most definitely was not complaining. Jesus Christ, he was _not_ complaining.

Remus shook his head and shut his laptop. No. This was almost stalker-esque. He was never going to talk to the man ever again and although this had been quite an experience it was now over. The end. Fifteen minutes of fame and the end of his chapter with Sirius Black.

-

Sirius Black sat plucking notes on his guitar, thoroughly annoyed with himself to think that he would ever get a response. A response to the note that Sirius Black had put inside the keyring of Remus Lupin’s keys. It read:

_Meet me at Primrose Hill?_

_(11 on Saturday)_

_Sirius Black_

It was perfectly illogical of him to reply, thought Sirius. He had been out of his mind to even put it there in the first place. No one would want to meet up with someone they had talked to for ten minutes, let alone meet up with him. He was just another famous face who would be forgotten when the decade ended. Not a person. It was stupid to think that anyone would think differently. It was stupid to get his hopes up.

But Sirius wanted him to reply, even though he knew Remus wouldn’t like him back. Maybe they could be friends? He could always hope.

Sirius was in desperate need of advice. He called James, in the hope that he would pick up at this time in the evening. 

The phone rang four times before James picked up.

“Hey, mate.” James’ voice came through the phone.

“Hey,” Sirius sighed, momentarily relieved at hearing the familiar voice. Then he remembered the situation he was in.“Help me,” he said, strained. 

James chuckled. “What is it this time?”

“Keys. Well no. The owner of the keys.”

“So that makes you the keeper of the keys?” James chuckled again at his bad joke.

“Well, I haven't got them anymore.” Sirius sighed. “I need help.”

“Those keys you picked up on the tube?”

Sirius was exasperated. “Yes, those keys, but it’s not about the _keys_.” 

“Then what is it about?” James said, confused.

“Basically the guy who’s keys I picked up on the tube.”

“Yes?”

Sirius spoke quickly. “I may have a teeny tiny itsy bitsy crush on him?”

“Of course.”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” Sirius said, sarcastic.

“So he’s hot and you’re gay and you don’t know what to do about it,” James replied, voice teasing.

Sirius groaned. “Yeah.” He paused before he continued. “It’s not _just_ that he’s hot or cute or whatever—which he is—but I texted him for ten minutes and I feel like...I dunno, we could talk for hours and never get bored?”

Now it was James’ turn to groan. _“_ You sound like you’re in some soppy rom-com.” 

“Well, it’s true,” Sirius insisted. “It was...I don’t know. _Different_.”

“If you say so, Padfoot. It _is_ kind of adorable.” Sirius could just tell that James was rolling his eyes fondly. “So. What are you going to do about it, then?”

“That’s what I’m calling about. I slipped a note about meeting up into the keyring, but he hasn’t said anything.” 

“Yet.” 

“Why do you have to be so bloody optimistic all the time, Prongs?” Sirius sighed. “I guess, but…”

“He probably hasn’t even seen it yet.” James pointed out cheerfully. “There is still hope yet for the gay disaster that is Sirius Black.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“I’m not wrong.”

“Oh, fuck you.”

“Or him.”

Sirius spluttered, but smirked slightly. “Who said it was me doing the fucking?” 

Now it was James’ turn to choke. “Oh my _god.”_

“Don’t act like you don’t know.”

“Hanging up now.” James said in a sing-song voice.

“Wait, no!”

“Byeeee. Love you, Pads.”

Sirius sighed, grinning. “Love you.”

James hung up, and Sirius slumped against the wall. It was going to be a _long_ evening. 

-

Remus was freaking out. 

He had just grabbed his keys out of the bowl on the sideboard when he noticed a piece of paper peeking out of the keyring. Reading it, he’d blushed hard and then had to remind himself that it was _not,_ under any circumstance, a date. 

And he knew this wasn’t a good idea. At all. But for some reason, he really, really wanted to meet Sirius at Primrose Hill. Or at least go there. If anything, the view was incredible.

Looking at his watch, it was ten a.m. He needed to be there at eleven. And he still needed to get ready.

Hurrying into his bedroom, he opened the doors of the wardrobe, surveyed its contents and came to the realisation that he had no clean clothes. Shit.

Remus looked down at himself. He was wearing a button down shirt and some dark green trousers. Good enough, he supposed.

Primrose Hill was twenty minutes away from Remus’ house, and he did not want to be an hour early. He wandered into the kitchen, and decided to bring the cinnamon buns he’d made the other day as a thanks for returning his keys. Placing the buns into a paper bag, Remus picked up his keys and then left the house, deciding he would pick up tea on the way. 

Remus stood in the queue at Costa. He considered for a minute, bought an Assam tea for himself and a lavender tea for Sirius, then walked out, somehow more nervous than before. 

Remus’ steps down the pavement were brisk. The take-away cups warmed his freezing hands and the steam from the tea tickled his nose. He glanced at his watch for what must have been the tenth time that day—twenty minutes to eleven. He had time. But he couldn’t risk being late either. 

He walked quickly, ignoring traffic lights and paying little to no attention to the roads. He had other things on his mind. 

As Remus arrived, he took a moment to admire the view. London really _was_ stunning.

Sitting down on a bench, Remus let out a breath. He really had no need to be this nervous. This was _not_ a date. Not at all. Sirius was _straight_ , and Remus had no right— _no_ right—to hope for anything more than a friendship. And even that was pushing it. Sirius was famous, a proper celebrity, with 2.8 million followers. _Two million, eight hundred thousand followers._ And he wanted to meet up with Remus. _Remus Lupin_. A twenty-five year old teacher from Islington, covered in scars from a bad car accident as a kid, and totally unlovable.

Just then, Remus looked up. And saw him. And _fuck._ He was even more gorgeous in the daylight. The hair that fell out of his bun framed his face perfectly, his tight t-shirt and his piercing grey eyes almost felt like they held more feeling than any other pair of eyes he had ever seen. 

Remus was vaguely aware that he was drooling, but, well, he couldn’t help but focus on anything else.

Sirius looked up from the picnic blanket he was unrolling. “The sunlight makes you look even nicer, everyone nicer.”

Remus’ cheeks flushed. He smiled slightly. “Yeah. It does make people look nicer,” he said, watching Sirius lay down on the blanket. It certainly made Sirius look even nicer, anyway.

-

_Shit._ Sirius should not have looked up. At least not when Remus was looking right down at him, his beautiful eyes looking right back into his own. 

Remus cleared his throat. “Um, I made cinnamon rolls to say thanks for finding my keys. Oh, and I brought tea. I got lavender, I don’t know whether…” he trailed off. 

“Oh my god, you’re so sweet.” Sirius said, smiling softly . “I’ve always loved lavender. You read my mind.”

Remus smiled as well, looking surprised. “Not a mind reader, I’m afraid. You...” he trailed off again, biting his lip.

Sirius raised an eyebrow slightly. “I?”

“You smelled like lavender,” Remus mumbled sheepishly.

He remembered how Sirius had smelled?

“Thank you for coming, I wasn’t sure if you would.” Sirius said, now blushing profusely.

“Oh, of course... your note was adorable. I’m glad I came.”

Sirius felt himself turn even more red. _Curse pale skin. Curse the Black genes._

But he shouldn’t have been this overwhelmed. Remus was a _straight_ man for goodness sake. A straight man with a ridiculously handsome smile and perfect curls and—no. He wasn’t going to go that path of thought, as much as he wanted to.

“I thought it was better than DMs?” _And also romantic,_ Sirius stopped himself from saying.

The edge of Remus’ lip curled upwards. “Well, I was in a pretty shitty mood then.”

Sirius smiled, and bit his lip. “I could tell.”

Remus shuffled awkwardly , but grimaced slightly. “I wasn’t too rude, was I?”

“Oh, not at all,” Sirius reassured quickly.

“Sure?”

Sirius barely stopped himself from telling Remus it was cute, nodding instead. “Sure.” 

“Okay then…” Remus said, still uncertain. “Cinnamon roll? Tea?”

“Yes please.” 

Remus unpacked the cinnamon rolls and Sirius took one happily. He took a bite and hummed contentedly. 

“This is incredible.” He said through a mouthful. “You made these yourself?”

Remus nodded, blushing slightly, and taking one for himself. “My mum taught me to bake.” 

“Your mum sounds great.”

“She really is.” They sat quietly, eating the rolls and drinking their tea. 

“Nice view.” Remus muttered, then immediately blushed.

Sirius nodded and hummed, looking at the skyline, then shaking himself when his eyes almost immediately drifted to Remus. “Yeah.” He blushed a little himself. They sat in silence for a few minutes. 

“So...was there any particular reason you asked to meet me or...? Besides the picnic, of course.” Remus laughed a little, awkwardly.

Sirius hadn’t thought of that. _Shit._ Attempting to think of a valid reason, Sirius looked at his shoes. “I was wondering...my agent said you’re a teacher, right?”

Remus nodded slowly. “That I am.” 

“Right, so I was wondering...would you be opposed to me giving a talk at your school?”

Remus’ eyes widened, and Sirius backtracked quickly. “Or not, I mean, I don’t have to do it...”

“No, no, that would be amazing, the kids would practically explode,” Remus interrupted. “But, really? Me?”

Nodding slowly and grinning, Sirius said, “Yes, you, why not you?” 

“Because you’ve only just met me and have spoken to me, what, three times?”

“Well, that’s what friends do?” _Unless you’d like to be more than friends._ He thought. 

“Friends. Right.” 

“Wait I didn’t mean it like that I meant, um, do you want to be friends?”

“What? Yes. Of course. Um, only if you want to, of course. You’re a celebrity, you’re _famous,_ why would you want to be friends with _me?_ ”

“Well, you seem cool.” Sirius shrugged.

“You seem pretty cool, too,” Remus said shyly.

“So is that a yes?”

“Well, I’d have to ask the headmistress, but I’d think so,” Remus replied, biting down on a grin.

Sirius grinned. “Sounds like a plan, text me when you have a response.” 

“Will do.”

-

  
  


“I still can't get over this. You’re telling me Sirius Black, the pop superstar of this generation, wants to do a talk at _Hogwarts Prep?_ ” 

Remus’ cheeks coloured ever so slightly more. _Sirius Black wants to give a talk at our school._ It was just beginning to hit him. _Sirius fucking Black wants to be friends and give a talk at our school._ Remus thought he might as well combust on the spot. He didn’t know how much more of seeing this man he could take before he started drooling.

“The one and only.” Sirius joked, grinning.

Remus liked the way Sirius smiled; it spread to his eyes and made his face light up, his features becoming even more handsome.

The rest of the exchange passed quickly. All Remus could remember was that Sirius Black with icing on his lip looked supremely kissable. 

-

Sirius sat with an empty document open in front of him. What the bloody hell was he going to say to a bunch of 11 to 18 year olds? 

_Hi?_ No, that sounded weird. What would Remus think of him? Remus, _fuck._ Forget the talk - what did Remus even think of him in general? He would probably never find out. This talk would be the end of him knowing Remus. _Unless._ No. Sirius had to get that thought out of his mind. There was no way Remus was interested. It was never going to happen. Sirius was just setting himself up for disappointment.

-

“So……can he come?” Remus asked hesitantly.

Minnie - no, _Ms. Mcgonagall_ \- didn’t say anything, just stared at him. Remus felt his cheeks heat up.

“Or not, of course, he doesn’t have to-” Remus spoke quickly, embarrassed. 

But Minnie just smiled. “No, Mr. Lupin, I can see that you’re looking forward to this.” Remus could have sworn he saw her wink. “Tell him yes. The kids will love him.”

Remus let out a breath, thanked her profusely and left her office, remembering to grab a biscuit from the jar on the way out.

The journey back home after school was a blur. All Remus could concentrate on was that, _holy shit,_ _Sirius Black is coming to give a talk at Hogwarts Prep._

Not only was Sirius Black a world renowned pop star, but he was also _hot_ . _And straight,_ Remus reminded himself. _Into girls. Not guys._ Especially not guys like Remus.

Sighing deeply, Remus left Highbury and Islington and wandered home. Filling his cat’s, Bingley’s, food bowl, all he could think that he wanted to fall right into bed and asleep.

It had been a long day.

-

Sirius got out of the car outside of Hogwarts, waving bye to the chauffeur, and wrung his hands in anticipation. He could perform on stage in front of hundreds and thousands of people, but schoolchildren were a whole different audience. And this audience had _Remus._

The brick building seemed new, like it had been renovated in recent years - the roof, especially, looked fairly new. An extension had been put on the left wing, housing new science labs and an art room.

Sirius walked through into the reception area, glad that he managed to avoid the awkwardness of meeting any people on the way. He stood in front of the front desk for a moment before clearing his throat to get the receptionist’s attention.

“What is it?” the receptionist snapped. His name tag read _Barty Crouch Jr._

“Oh, I’ve come to speak to Minerva Mcgonagall. I think she’s expecting me?”

“She doesn’t take visitors without an appointment.” Barty said, eyes narrowing. “All appointments are documented in the school’s system.”

Sirius felt very out of place. “I think I have an appointment?”

“Name?” Barty said, still not looking up from the computer screen. 

“Sirius Black.”

“Sirius Black,” he said, registering what he had just heard. “Sirius. Black. Oh. I’m so so sorry, sir I- I didn’t know it was you.”

Sirius sighed. He was sick of people taking him ten times more seriously when they realized he was a celebrity. “It’s okay.”

“Minnie is through there on the left,” he said, pointing through a doorway. “Um, I know this sounds weird, but. Could I maybe have your autograph?” Barty handed Sirius a piece of paper and a pen and Sirius scribbled something before sauntering off, grinning.

_Be kind to everyone, not just celebrities, you git._

_Sirius fucking Black_

-

_Shit._ Remus was going to be late. _Again._ And he was going to be late to _Sirius’ talk._ He quickened his pace, trying to make up time. This school was too bloody big. He was almost panting by the time he made it to the main hall. Standing by the doorway, Remus leant against the frame just as Sirius walked onto the stage.

And well. _Fuck._

He was wearing leather, a jacket and trousers, and Remus thought his heart would beat out of his chest. His hair was pulled back and his face was animated with passion for the subject he was talking about - music. Remus was in awe and _fuck,_ he wanted to-

His thoughts were interrupted by a hand on his shoulder.

“Hi, Re.” A familiar, comforting voice sounded from behind him.

“Hey Lils.” Remus smiled, not turning to look but instead keeping his eyes on Sirius. 

Remus could hear the smirk in Lily’s voice “Quite the man, that Sirius Black.”

“Oh, sod off,” said Remus, unable to keep the small smile off his face. 

“You like him,” she said in a sing-song voice.

Remus groaned. “Is it really that obvious?”

“Yep.” Lily’s grin was imminent.

Remus sighed. “He’s straight.”

“And you are not.”

“Fuck you.”

“Fuck him, more like.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“I’m not _wrong,_ though.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Ahah! Not denied means I’m right.”

“I said shut the fuck up.”

“But I’m _right._ ” 

“Oh look, he’s starting.”

“Changing the subject?”

“Shut. The fuck. Up. And listen. To Sirius.”

“I’ll let you marvel in his beauty then,” Lily said, miming zipping her mouth shut. “I’m shutting up.”

“Appreciated.”

-

After the speech, the first person Sirius looked for was Remus. He wasn’t difficult to find, being 6’4 and surrounded by children practically half his height. Next to him was someone that Sirius knew well - none other than Lily Evans, the wife of his best friend James Potter.

“Sirius, hi! That was Lily.” Remus said offhandedly as Lily walked off to go and talk to another teacher. 

Sirius smiled warmly. “I know. She’s my best friend’s wife. Small world.” 

“It really is.” Remus commented, smiling shyly. “I, um, think you did really brilliantly today.”

Sirius blushed. “You too- I er- thanks. We should meet up again some time,” he stuttered.

Remus rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, we should. Text me?”

“I’ll need your number for that”

“Oh right, yes” Remus reeled off his number as Sirius typed it carefully into his phone. 

“See you around, Lupin.” Sirius ran a hand through his hair and winked before turning and walking into the crowd of people waiting for selfies and autographs, leaving a flustered Remus in his wake.


	2. november 2019

_November 2019_

Remus was still getting over the shock of being  _ friends  _ with Sirius Black.  _ Sirius fucking Black.  _ They had been texting back and forth for a few days and had planned to go out for coffee after work on Wednesday.

It couldn’t come fast enough.

“So it’s definitely not a date then?” Lily asked, quirking her eyebrows as they walked into the staff room for their lunch break. 

Remus grumbled. “No. It’s. Not. A. Bloody. Date. We are just going for coffee. As friends.”

“Mhm.” Lily sounded skeptical, but her eyes were teasing.

Remus just sighed and bit into his sandwich. 

“But you’d  _ like  _ it to be more than friends?” Lily asked, smirking.

Remus elbowed her when he almost choked. “Shut up.”

“This is exactly the same conversation we had last week.”

“Shut  _ up. _ ”

“So I’m right.”

Lily considered it a victory when Remus didn’t answer.

Thankfully, the classroom was close to full when Remus stepped in after lunch. He was glad; he didn’t want to be chasing after students all afternoon.

“Afternoon,” he said, smiling faintly.

“Afternoon,” the class chorused unenthusiastically.

“Right, uh.” Remus started, his mind clearly on other things. “Today we’ll be looking at uses of pathetic fallacy, so if everyone could take out their books?” As the classroom filled with the noise of people digging around in their bags, he grabbed his own copy from the desk. 

“So, does anyone know what pathetic fallacy is?” He looked around, hoping for an answer. He didn’t get one. “It means that the weather represents the mood of the scene.”

The class stayed quiet.

Sighing, Remus sat down on his desk. “Flip to page twenty-six.”

Rustling echoed throughout the classroom as the students all opened and flipped through their books.

“You see here, the fine weather is mimetic of both Elizabeth’s mood at going to see her sister and also of the lively nature of exercise.” Dreamily, Remus glanced out the window himself. The rain from earlier had cleared, leaving the sky scattered with clouds. Maybe pathetic fallacy wasn't just in literature. 

-

Fifteen minutes.

Fifteen minutes of Sirius sitting at the dimly lit table and staring at the coffee shop clock, waiting for Remus to arrive. Fifteen minutes of Remus very determinedly  _ not  _ arriving.

His eyes flickered to the door every time he heard the jangle of the bell, but he was disappointed every time.

Sirius sighed, closing his eyes for a moment and letting his head drop back. The café was busy, although Sirius filtered out the noise.

When the bell on the door jangled again, Sirius turned his head, not really expecting anything.

But it was Remus, flushed and running his hands through his hair, stumbled into the café and immediately made way for Sirius’ table, eyes widening apologetically. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, the tube was closed for maintenance and I had to take the bus, sorry-”

Sirius cut him off with a small laugh. “It’s alright, don’t worry about it, I’m glad you’re here.”

Smiling, Remus nodded politely and, when Sirius gestured for him to sit down across from him, did.

They sat without saying anything, just staring at each other, for almost five minutes before Remus broke the silence. “So...coffee?”

Sirius nodded, smiling. “That would be great.”

“I’ll get it to make up for being late.” Remus stood to go to the counter. “What’s your order?”

Sirius shook his head. “I can get it.” He took Remus’ hand to pull him down onto his chair, and immediately blushed hard. “Sorry, I-” he said, still not moving his fingers.

Remus coughed quietly, as if he wasn’t certain if he wanted to be heard, and Sirius sharply pulled his hand away and walked over to the counter.

“Wait, shit, I don't know your order,” Sirius cursed under his breath. He remembered Remus liked tea, from their last meeting, so he ordered a cup of tea and a latte for himself.

He brought the tray over to the table he had chosen in the back corner, smiling warmly in apology. “Look, I’m sorry about-”

Sirius stopped when Remus, determinedly not looking at him, put his hand on Sirius’. “You didn’t have to pay, you know.”

Sirius was silent for a minute before processing what Remus had said “I wanted to.” He tried to ignore the beating of his heart and the heat spreading across his face and neck.

Remus rolled his eyes, but smiled.

Sirius licked his lips, still refusing to move his hand. “Um, I wasn’t sure what to get for you, so I just got tea. You had it when we were at Primrose Hill, so.”

Remus looked gratefully surprised. “You remembered? I can’t stand coffee, makes me all jittery.” 

Sirius shrugged nonchalantly, trying to imprint the feeling of Remus’ hand into his mind, and tried not to grin.

“So...how are you?” Remus asked, picking up his mug of tea, and immediately blushed. “Sorry, I’m not great at small talk.”

Sirius laughed slightly through his nose. “I’m doing great actually. I’m working on a new album at the moment.”

“I keep forgetting you’re a world famous musician.” Remus grinned. “Love your songs by the way.”

Sirius blushed slightly. “Glad you like them. I’m really proud of them, actually.”

“As you should be.” Remus laughed awkwardly.

The conversation continued, stilted and awkward for a few minutes. Suddenly Sirius, not paying attention to his drink, knocked it over onto the table and into Remus’ lap with a wave of his hand. “ _ Shit. _ ”

Remus swore loudly and some people on nearby tables turned to see what had happened. 

“Oh god, I’m so fucking sorry.” Sirius said hurrying to get some napkins whilst Remus stood up and tried to brush some of the hot tea off his trousers. 

Sirius handed Remus the paper towels he’d managed to find, narrowly stopping himself from trying to help Remus. 

“Thanks.” He muttered, patting himself down before sitting down again. 

“I’m so sorry about that.” 

“Nothing like a good old tea stain on your trousers to end the day, am I right?” Remus laughed, maybe a little too long, and Sirius gazed into his beautiful eyes. 

They talked more freely after that. The somewhat awkward tension had disappeared, and soon enough it was dark outside and the coffee shop was closing. 

-

Remus hesitantly walked toward the studio that was becoming all too familiar to him. He and Sirius had met up no more and no less than four times, and had formed an immediate bond. Remus had to keep reminding himself that if he wanted to keep this friendship he would have to get the distracting thoughts about Sirius’ eyelashes and lips out of his head. Sirius was  _ straight.  _

Today he was meeting Sirius after work, picking him up at his studio so that they could go and grab a bite to eat, and so Remus could show Sirius the beginning of the novel he was writing. 

Making his way up the stairs to the studio, he heard the familiar low tones of Sirius’ voice coupled with a laughing but unfamiliar one.

He walked into the room, holding his bag of banana muffins under his arm and trying not to drool too much at Sirius with his shirt half unbuttoned. 

“Hi Re.” Sirius said when he saw Remus standing in the doorway. “This is James. He’s just leaving.” He motioned to the other man in the room. 

“So  _ this  _ is Remus.” James said with a strange look on his face that Remus couldn't quite place.

Sirius nodded. “Don’t you have places to be James.” 

“Nope. Don’t think I do, mate.” James said grinning. “You wouldn’t mind me staying for a moment Remus?”

“Oh no of course.” Remus put the muffins down and took his cardigan off. “Just going to run to the loo, where is that?”

“I’ll show you where it is.” James answered, standing up and walking towards the door, Remus followed.

-

Sirius sat on his stool for a moment before deciding to go and see what Remus had baked this time. He peered in the bag and was hit by the sweet smell of banana. He smiled to himself. Banana muffins. 

Lifting the tray of muffins out, he set them next to the bag and spotted the cardigan Remus had taken off earlier. He looked at it, and before he knew what he was doing, he had put it on. He felt closer to Remus than ever, engulfed in his warmth and smell.

There was a slight weight in the cardigan pocket, and when Sirius put his hand on it, he felt Remus’ keys. Not looking down, he reached into the pocket, and an idea struck.

Taking the pen from his own pocket, Sirius scribbled furiously, wanting to finish before James returned. He was only just slipping the paper into the keyring when James walked back in. 

“Hi, James,” he said quickly, stuffing the keys back into the pocket of the cardigan that  _ he was still wearing.  _ He wasn’t sure why he was out of breath.

James looked at him. “Is that- are you wearing Remus’ cardigan?” He burst out laughing. “That in love with him, are you.”

“I’m not in love,” Sirius muttered. He wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth.

“Mhm, I’d think it would be a little fast.”

“Oh, like  _ you’re  _ one to talk. How old were we when you first proposed to Lily?”

James didn’t answer, just glared at him. “The point stands.”

“ _ Your eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad. _ I think that’s Shakespeare right there.” Sirius laughed as he lay the cardigan back down on the side. 

James just sighed as Remus walked back into the room. “I best be off now. Nice meeting you, Remus.” He waved, leaving Sirius and Remus alone. 

“Let’s go then?” Remus asked, picking up his cardigan and muffins. “Shit, I was going to ask James if he wanted one of these.”

“He’ll live.” Sirius snorted. 

“I know, I know.” 

They walked down the pavement, shoulders brushing occasionally, walking quickly to avoid getting drenched by the light rain that was becoming heavier every minute. 

They bought fish and chips and walked with it hidden under their coats until the rain got so heavy that they had no choice but to huddle under a bus shelter. The toothpaste advertisement lit their conversation, faces close so they could hear one another above the sound of the wind and rain. 

“My dad used to get me fish and chips every Friday after school.” Remus said quietly. 

Sirius turned to look at him “Not anymore?”

“No, he- ” Remus’ voice cracked, and he stopped.

Sirius said nothing and put his arms around Remus, letting him be surrounded by his warmth, protecting him against the rain. He heard Remus choke a sob against his chest and felt something inside of him twist. He couldn’t let someone as beautiful as this be so hurt.

“We used to eat it in the car on the way home.” He paused, “and then he’d read me books before I went to sleep. He- he compared me to Mr Darcy. Awkward and- and broken.” His voice cracked again as he looked up at Sirius

“And someone who would do anything for the one he loves.” Sirius said, not daring to look Remus in the eye. 

“He said I’d find my Elizabeth Bennet.” 

Sirius swallowed, looking down at Remus, and smiled. “He’s right, you know. You will.”

Looking up, Remus smiled back shyly. “You think so?”

Sirius just nodded, suddenly incredibly conscious of the note he had slipped Remus earlier that evening. “I- I hope.”

They sat together for a moment, seperate from the world, watching the rain blur the lights of the traffic, creating a curtain around them. 

Remus extracted himself from Sirius' arms. “I was going to show you my book. If you’d - still like to see it.”

“Oh my god yes.”

Remus dug around in his bag for his notebook. “Um it’s going to be a book of poems and I’ve only started a few but-” he trailed off as Sirius started to read. Sirius was in awe. He had never seen handwriting or words form such beautiful sentences. Each word perfect for each line, flowing and stilted, described so it was no longer ink and paper but birds and sky and earth beneath your feet. Emotions in waves and rivers, droplets of joy and flickers of sadness. All combined into two lines of magic. 

“Remus. Fuck. Oh my god, how do you make words sound so pretty?”

Remus blushed in the dim light. 

“Remus.” Sirius looked at him as if it was for the first time. “Wow.”

Remus didn’t have words. He shoved the notebook messily back into his bag and watched the rain for a few seconds. “Thank you,” he muttered, pausing before adding. “For everything.”

-

When remus arrived at his door, the rain was still falling in sheets. He dug in his pockets for his keys and fumbled with them as he opened the door. A folded piece of paper fell out as he walked in. He picked it up and flattened it out. 

In Sirius’ messy cursive, it read: 

_ Um, hi.  _

_ This is really spontaneous and rushed and I probably shouldn’t do this, but, you know, fuck it, I’m telling you.  _

_ So, to the point, I, um, like you. Like like you. As in I’m gay and you are straight and I have a huge fucking crush on you and am not entirely sure what to do about it. I know telling you won’t help but I want to get it out in the open. Aaaa I’m going to regret this, aren’t I? _

_ I don’t want this to change anything but I also wanted you to know because. Yeah.  _

_ Just in case.  _

_ Sirius  _

_ x _

Remus stood staring at the messy scrawl, completely in shock. He re read the message four times before he had completely taken it in and then stood motionless for another five minutes, wondering what on earth he was going to do next.

So. Facts.

One. Sirius Black ( _ Sirius  _ fucking  _ Black _ ) had a crush on him.

Two. Well, if he wasn’t just doing this as a joke.

Three. Sirius was gay.

Four. Sirius thought Remus was straight.

Five. Admittedly, Remus liked Sirius as well.

A whole lot. 

Six. If Sirius really did like Remus, then they liked each other.

Well.

That didn’t solve anything. 

He needed a plan. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get the idea of kissing Sirius out of his head, so formulating any sort of plan would be rather difficult. 

He made a cup of tea and made his way to the sitting room. There, he sat down in his armchair and brought out his notebook and fountain pen and began to write.

Once he was satisfied, he sent a quick DM to Sirius. 

_ can we meet at camden bridge tomorrow at sunset?  _

Sirius’ response was quick. 

**See you there.**

-

Sirius stood waiting on the bridge for a few minutes, watching a barge take people along the canal. No one was there except him, and he was starting to feel like Remus wouldn’t come at all. He had been stupid to give him that note. He was probably going to be outed to the whole world. Remus was coming to tell him to never talk to him again. What had he done?

Just then, a voice rang out from behind him. “Hey.”

Sirius spun around and was caught off guard by Remus with his hair slicked back, a few strands out of place and wearing a maroon shirt and tight black trousers. He looked  _ hot. _

“Hey. Fuck. I’m so sorry I shouldn’t ha-” Sirius stopped when Remus brushed his finger against his jaw and tilted his head up so he could look at him better.

Sirius swore his heart was about to beat out of his chest.

Remus leant forward and brushed his lips gently against Sirius’ and pulled back slowly. “Okay?” 

Sirius nodded meekly. He could tell his cheeks were burning, but he didn’t care. He leaned back into Remus and kissed him, slowly, pouring emotion into it. He melted and lifted his hand to cup Remus’ face, running his thumb along the scar on his jaw. Remus shivered slightly and pressed into his touch. 

Remus lowered his hand to Sirius’ lower back, pulling him closer and kissing him with more force. 

They made out for a few minutes, occasionally pulling back to look at one another and grin. After a bit, the sun set, the moon rose and it began to get colder. Sirius huddled into Remus for warmth, and turning toward the water, they watched the moon and the stars from the bridge, the light dancing on the water below. 

“I have something for you.” Remus said tentatively as he slipped a folded piece of paper into Sirius’ hand. “I’ll see you soon, love.” And he walked away as quickly as he had appeared.

Sirius touched his lip, right where only seconds ago Remus had been. He was in total shock- apparently Remus  _ wasn’t _ straight. Well obviously, or he wouldn’t have kissed him like that. And he was a  _ fucking good kisser.  _ And  _ shit.  _ He had been given a note. 

He opened it up and read it in the half moonlight, in Remus’ slanted scrawl:

_ could we be together, like the moon and the stars? _

_ x _

For a couple of seconds, Sirius just stared at the note, mind racing, until he realized that he did have to answer. Not taking his eyes off the note, he took his phone from his pocket and turned it on, the light illuminating his face and the note.

**Yes**

**Yes of course**

**You absolute plonk**

**Xx**

Remus’ DM response came almost four seconds later.

_ oh good you don’t hate me _

_ xx  _

**Well I did confess to you first**

**I’m just glad you don’t hate me**

_ i would have thought you would have realised that  _

_ i just snogged the living daylights out of you, but I /was/ told the gays were oblivious _

**You aren’t an oblivious gay????**

_ chaotic bi, my friend  _

_ (*boyfriend??) _

**Makes sense**

**I was worried you were about to tell me you were straight**

**(Akslndfnkldsf yes, boyfriend)**

_ wow you really are an oblivious gay _

_ ‘straight’ _

_ yeah, right _

_ (xx) _

**I’m soRry**

**How was I supposed to know**

_ other than the fact that I was practically drooling over you in leather? _

**You like me in leather? ;)**

_ oh bugger off _

**Might have to wear it more often**

_ i wouldn’t be complaining _

**God I love this**

_ what? _

**Being able to tell you how pretty you look and being able to kiss you and oh my god there are so many things**

_ you can’t see me but I’m blushing _

**Picture.**

_ you don’t get to see my cheeks.  _

**How are you this damn cute**

_ your turn _

**Sexting again are we ;)**

**(Just kiDdinG)**

**But also**

_ hey handsome _

**R e m u s**

_ yes love? _

**Okay well fuck I am not prepared**

_ more fun when you aren’t _

**Not for me!!**

_ i can stop? _

**Mmmmmmmmm okay yeah you’re right I don’t hate it really**

_ i thought not. _

-

Remus remembered this, vaguely. The irregular stone path, the wild garden that could hardly be considered that, the weeping willow tree, peering over the little stream that ran by the house. It was blurred by the light drizzle, and it felt like a painting that he had walked past every once in a while. 

The memories of his dad came flooding back to him and Remus squeezed Sirius’ hand. He blinked fast, using his sleeve to wipe his eye.

“It’s going to be okay, sweetheart.” Sirius’ voice was soft.

Remus put his head on Sirius' shoulder and they stood for a moment, admiring the ivy climbing up to the thatched roof.

The door swung open and almost immediately after Remus was knocked engulfed in a hug from his mum. He relaxed into her arms and rested his chin on her head, almost tripping over the threshold. Sirius hung back, smiling at the obvious closeness between them.

When Hope pulled back she smiled at her son. Then her eyes flickered to Sirius. 

“Hello” she said, smiling, reaching out to shake his hand. “And who may you be?”

“This is Sirius, my, erm, boyfriend, Mum.”

Hope’s eyes widened slightly before smiling warmly. “Come on in, Sirius.”

Sirius' eyes flicked to Remus’ as they followed her into the sitting room, and Remus gave him a small smile back and held out his hand. Sirius took it, and Remus could see his shoulders relax slightly. 

“I’ll pop the kettle on.” Hope said and walked through to the kitchen to make tea. 

-

“I. Love. Your. Mum.” Sirius said, sighing deeply. 

“She will happily adopt you if you will let her,” Remus said, laughing softly. He brought Sirius’ hand up and gently lay his lips on his knuckles, not breaking eye contact. Sirius didn’t move.

Ms. Lupin’s soft footsteps echoed, and she appeared around the kitchen door. “How do you take your tea, Sirius, dear?”

Sirius was just getting over the fact that he had been called  _ dear _ when Remus nudged him, bringing him out of his thoughts. “Oh, sorry, black, two sugars. Thanks.”

“Black like your name?” Remus laughed slightly at his own joke. “But  _ two _ sugars? You must rot your teeth.”

“I get away with it because I don’t drink eighteen cups of tea a day.” 

Hope looked between them and smiled to herself, happy her son had found someone he could be himself with. Even if she hadn’t anticipated it would be a boy. Or a world-famous celebrity.

-

_ Oh  _ was all Sirius could think as Remus walked in with a band t-shirt -  _ Sirius’  _ band t-shirt - tight against his chest and skinny jeans on.

“You okay, love?” Remus asked, cupping Sirius’ jaw. 

He registered the question and nodded quickly, still staring at his boyfriend in awe.

“Are you sure?” Remus asked, still concerned.

“Yeah.” Sirius said, coming back to himself. “Jesus, Remus.”

At that, he leant in to kiss Remus, hard, and ran his hands down his torso appreciatively. Remus walked them back until they were against the door and hummed appreciatively.

“What’s come over you this evening?” Remus laughed into the kiss.

“You.” 

Remus just kissed him again, hooking his finger into the belt hook of Sirius’ jeans. “Happy birthday, love.” 

They kissed for a few minutes, Sirius against the door and Remus working his way down his neck. Sirius sighed. 

“Ah, shit, we need to get going,” Sirius muttered, not sounding at all convinced. “James will kill us, I can’t be late for my own birthday party.”

Remus smirked into the kiss and mumbled, “You could.”

Sirius groaned. “As much as that sounds wonderful,” Remus cocked his head. “James has organised it for me and I think turning up might be a good idea.”

“Mm, okay.” Remus said, pulling back after a final chaste kiss. “I’ll just put my shoes on.”

Getting into the car, Sirius couldn’t help being nervous. His close friends knew he was gay, yes, had for years, but he was a  _ celebrity,  _ and there were inevitably going to be other celebrities at his birthday party. Celebrities, and paparazzi, probably, and right after that the whole world. Effectively, bringing Remus to this party was his mass coming-out, and honestly, he was ready.

How badly could it go, anyway?

Remus could sense his nervousness. “It’s going to be okay, baby. I'm here for you. We have each other.”

Sirius smiled slightly, putting his hand over Remus’ on the gear stick. “I know…” Trailing off, Sirius bit his lip and drove on.

-

Remus took a deep breath. This was as much coming out to the world to him as it was to Sirius. He slid his fingers into Sirius’ as they rounded the corner to James’ street. Sure enough, the road was filled with paparazzi.  _ Flash.  _ The cameras went crazy when they saw Sirius.  _ Holding hands with a man.  _ They walked quickly, James ushering them into the house and shutting the door behind them.

“Hi,” James said, pulling Sirius into a hug. “How are you feeling?’ His eyes flicked between them.

Sirius let out a breath. “We expected this. I’m sort of relieved, though.” 

James smiled. “So you two are-“

“A couple.” Remus butt in. 

“Cute.” James smirked. “Come on in, they are waiting for you.”

Remus hooked his arm around Sirius' waist and gave him a kiss on the cheek before they followed James into his kitchen. 

“SURPRISE!!” multiple voices shouted. Party poppers were let off from all sides, and they were met by many smiling faces.

Sirius waved and smiled widely. “Thank you all so much.” He bit his lip and Remus felt him move ever so slightly closer to him. “So um, for those of you who haven’t met him, this is Remus.” He paused. “My boyfriend.” Remus squeezed his hand and took a deep breath in, nodding slightly and smiling.

Lily was the first to speak. “Congrats, guys. But I  _ told you so _ .”

Sirius smirked. “So you two have been talking about me?”

Remus groaned. “Lily, I swear to god.”

“You have to tell me  _ everything, _ ” Sirius said pointedly to Lily.

Remus looked across the room. James was grinning wildly, Marlene looked so proud she could burst and Dorcas looked like she was about to cry of happiness. 

Remus let himself be guided by Sirius to talk to James. They made their way around the room, having conversations with so many people Remus was unsure how Sirius knew them all.

When the evening drew to an end, Remus pulled Sirius aside. “How are you doing?”

“Great. I’m so glad we did that. Still haven't looked at the news yet, but I’ll wait until we get home.”

“Um, because it’s your birthday,” Remus mumbled, smiling slightly, “I- erm got you something.”

Sirius looked shocked. “You- I. Okay. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I  _ wanted _ to.” Remus’ smile hadn’t faded.

Smile and blush growing, Sirius ran his hand through his hair.

“It’s nothing you can open here,” Remus said lightly.

Sirius almost choked on air.

“ _ Jesus,  _ Sirius, I didn’t mean it like that.” Remus’ face went bright red.

Sirius smirked, a question in his eyes.

“Well-” Remus smirked too. “I mean…”

_ “Remus John Lupin,  _ I didn’t know you were-”

“Lily, go _ away. _ ”

Lily laughed. “I’ll leave you to it then.”

Remus rolled his eyes at her and shooed her out. “Now, where were we?”

“I think you were going to-”

“Ah yes, birthday present.” He smiled warmly, cutting his boyfriend off. “So, um, you mentioned way back that you might like to get a piercing, and I thought, yeah I’ll get you one, and the jewelry if you’d like?”

Sirius’ mouth dropped open. “Oh my god, Remus.” He punctuated the next few words with kisses. “You. Perfect. Human. Being. How. In. Hell. Did. You. Remember. That.”

Remus grinned, running a hand through his hair. “So it isn’t the world's worst gift?”

“The world's worst gift? Remus, it’s incredible, I can’t wait.” Sirius’ look of excitement was obvious.

“Home?” Remus said, taking Sirius’ hand and kissing his cheek.

“Sounds lovely.”

_ - _

When they got to Sirius’ flat in London, they both collapsed lazily onto the sofa. Sirius fiddled with the remote until an old episode of pointless 90’s TV was flickering across the screen. His boyfriend lay his head on his chest and they lay for a moment, listening to each other’s heart beats. 

Sirius took his phone out and texted a few thank you’s to Marlene and James and then took a breath and opened his news app.

What he found was, well, not entirely what he was expecting. The headlines plastered on the main screen (from  _ Sirius Black - Staight, Gay, Bisexual  _ to  _ World-Famous Singer Sirius Black Will Never Get the Girls _ ) were to be expected. What he wasn’t expecting were the pictures that accompanied the words.

Instead of the pictures of him and Remus holding hands that he had expected, pictures of him and another man were plastered across his screen.

Remus must have felt his heart rate increase because he turned around and looked worriedly into his eyes. “Baby, what is it?”

Sirius’ voice cracked. “The- the news.”

“Love, we prepared for this, it's going to be oka-” he stopped when a phone screen was thrust into his face.

Sirius buried his head into his arm in an attempt to stop the tears from coming.

Remus looked shocked. “Darling, where are these from?” he said, trying to keep his voice level.

“I was- I was seventeen and I had only just realised I was gay and this man, he seemed- he seemed like he was perfect and- .”

“Love it’s okay, it’s okay.” Remus soothed, letting Sirius fall into his arms. “We’ll figure it out, okay?”

“I- I didn’t know he had filmed it.” Sirius choked. “I should have realised. I was stupid-  _ stupid.” _

“Sirius. Sirius, look at me.” He cupped his boyfriend's jaw in his hand. “You were in  _ no  _ way stupid, hear me?”

Sirius said nothing. All the memories seemed to be flooding back. The house. The empty face of a man who he had trusted. Naively. The man who had used him. And now those photos. Those  _ horrible  _ photos were leaked for everyone to see.

A tear slid silently down Sirius’ face. This wasn’t meant to be how he came out to the world. It was meant to be full of love and joy - not hate and abuse. 

“Sweetheart.” Remus kissed the tear away, shifting up until he was face-to-face with Sirius. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Sirius sniffled and nodded slightly. “I know, but…” He stopped, letting his head fall back and breathing in.

“Whatever happens, we have each other.” Remus kissed his cheek. “Okay?”

“Okay.” Sirius said softly, as Remus took the phone and put it on the arm of the sofa. He kissed him softly, nestling into his chest. Remus flicked the tv over to Notting Hill. 

“Notting Hill?” Sirius laughed. 

“What? I thought it fit the mood,” Remus said, planting a kiss on the top of Sirius’ head. 

Sirius smiled to himself. He was so lucky to have Remus, he had no idea what he would have done if he hadn’t been there.

“We can deal with everyone tomorrow, love,” Remus whispered as Julia Roberts walked across the screen.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on tumblr [@stagecrime](https://stagecrime.tumblr.com/), [@wolfstarforeverandever](https://wolfstarforeverandever.tumblr.com/) or our joint blog [@lupinblackevanspotter](https://lupinblackevanspotter.tumblr.com/) :)


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